The Franklin first edition: our journey

Inspired by you

c1209 was founded to equip you with the tools you need to unleash your full potential. We wanted to make you a beautiful handbag that helps you present your best self that can also adapt to meet the varied needs of your dynamic lifestyle.

The idea was seeded when Jacqueline Gilbert, an MBA candidate at the University of Cambridge, travelled to a job interview with a Fortune-50 Executive. To succeed that day, she needed to be prepared. She had to carry her laptop, files, shoes and water from Cambridge to London and back again. Her satchel didn't fit all the things she needed and she couldn’t carry her briefcase because of a shoulder injury, so she was forced to walk into the room carrying her sports backpack.

The backpack was a mistake. She was told that wearing one in the workplace undermined her image as a credible professional. She had nearly been mistaken for a new graduate interviewing for a junior role, not a serious candidate with 12 years of experience in strategy and consulting.

She got the job, but from that moment it didn't matter: c1209 had been founded to give you the edge in making a first impression.